CHAPTER II.

POPULATION CENTERS, TEMPERATURE, CLIMATE

Although Mars is little more than half as large as your Earth, its diameter being 4,200 miles, it contains a larger area of habitable land than the latter, its surface area being approximately 212,000,000 square miles as against 51,000,000 miles for your Earth. Hence our globe supports a larger population about 13,160,000,000 people. Your population is in the neighborhood of 1,645,000,000. Your land area is 161,000,000 square miles less than the land area of Mars. This is for the reason that your oceans occupy a vast surface of your Earth, and Mars has no oceans, as these dried up ages ago. Consequently almost the entire surface of our planet (with exception of some small areas covered with swamps, remnants of ancient seas and oceans, and portions of the extreme Northerly and Southerly Polar caps) is utilized by the Martian inhabitants.

Our planet is gridironed with canals, many hundreds of the main ones being observable through your telescopes, and the art of intensive farming is practised by us to a degree of perfection never dreamed of by the dwellers of your Earth.

Our winters, even in the Equatorial regions are severe, the temperatures at times descending to as low as 80 degrees below zero. However, our springs, summers, and autumns are mild and nearly twice as long as your seasons, for the Martian year is 687 days long. We grow and mature many crops of necessary cereals, fruits and vegetables during the spring and summer months, so that want is never felt by our happy people.

Our method of irrigation is somewhat different from that practised in the arid portions of your Earth. We do not, except in a few instances, flood our lands as you do. Owing to the fact that our atmosphere is much lighter than yours, the normal air pressure being only about 8 pounds to the square inch as against 15 pounds on your Earth, evaporation is very rapid, and the dewfall, as a consequence of much moisture being in the air, is very great.

This heavy humidity also tends to prevent radiation of heat, and the temperature at night does not drop exceedingly low, although frost is not uncommon even in summer. As our vegetation is acclimated and adapted to our environment no damage is done to growing crops by reason of these frosts.

The Martians experience no difficulty in living in a rarified atmosphere. Neither have they abnormally developed lungs. God has made ample provision for the comfort of His creatures throughout all of His infinite creations, and we of Mars are not excepted from this Fatherly care and love.

Should an inhabitant of your Earth be suddenly transported to Mars he could live but a few minutes, for the reason that his lungs could not assimilate enough oxygen from our light atmosphere.

Economy is a science with us. Nothing is wasted. Every possible square inch of ground produces food for man or beast. Even the north and south Arctic regions, after their seasonal thaws blossom forth with vegetal growth, as astronomers on your Earth have observed. These regions produce their quota of food by being utilized as pasturage for our cattle. Immense amounts of forage are also gathered for the long Martian winters, when a greater portion of either the north or south hemisphere is covered with a mantle of snow.

The equatorial regions are always pleasant. No severe wind storms are experienced on Mars; neither do we have lightning or other magnetic disturbances such as you experience.

As a corollary to the tranquility of our inhabitants living in peace, Love and harmony, and the truths of God expressed in our everyday living, the climate is equable, the atmosphere clear and beautiful, the sky serene and sapphire-blue: the severest winds but gentle zephyrs wafted towards the equator from the more remote portions of our globe. Cloudy skies are rare and rainstorms few.

There is no lack of God's gifts on Mars. As intensive farming is a necessity on our planet, plant food or fertilizing elements are plentiful. One of the large white circular spots observed by your astronomers, located in a region on Mars named by them Elysium, and which has been a puzzle to all observers, is an immense deposit of fertilizing chemicals. An immense well is located in this particular spot which gushes forth a never-ending saline solution, highly impregnated with sodium nitrate, potash and other salts. The country for many miles around is covered with a white precipitate which has been carried by the moist air and deposited on the Martian earth. These chemical compounds are refined and used to replenish the soil with plant food.

There are 153,000 centers of population on Mars, but these centers are not congested cities similar to those on your Earth. Every individual has plenty of room to thrive and develop the best within him.

Our cities are not crowded and our buildings are beautiful in their simplicity: large and roomy, with an abundance of sunlight and ample ventilation. White marble and metals are employed for building purposes.

The inhabitants congregate in centers and, owing to our more perfect methods of transportation, go forth daily to their tasks in field or factory, to return at the end of their allotted period to home and fireside.